


The Third Christmas

by greenstuff



Category: Burnt (2015)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, shameless schmoop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-24
Updated: 2015-12-24
Packaged: 2018-05-08 22:06:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5515049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greenstuff/pseuds/greenstuff
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Their third Christmas was the one Adam would always remember. It was the first one that really felt like Christmas.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Third Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> I started listening to Christmas Carols and then this happened. It's loosely tied to the Places universe, but it definitely stands alone. 
> 
> I wanted to get this up before Christmas so I apologize in advance for it's completely unedited state. Please feel free to point out any errors in the comments.

Their first Christmas as a couple, Adam actually forgot to buy a gift for Tony. He hadn’t had someone to buy for since he was eleven years old and his grandmother dragged him out to Sears to purchase presents for his cousins who were visiting from Maine. After his grandmother died, it was easier not to think about Christmas too much. Tony didn’t forget, but when he found out through Helene that Adam did, he put the gift in the back of a drawer and pretended they agreed not to do presents. They spend Christmas christening most of the surfaces of Tony’s apartment with occasional breaks for eggnog and take away curry.

The next Christmas went a little more smoothly. They’d weathered Valentine’s Day (nightmare), and birthdays (wonderful), ignored Halloween (frantically busy) and Thanksgiving (ditto), Christmas is easy. They celebrated on the 26th because actual Christmas was too busy a night for either of them to trust the restaurant to anyone else, and Helene asked for Christmas Eve so she could play Santa for Lily. Adam bought Tony red socks and a tie with little Santas and laughed hysterically when Tony puts both on with his charcoal suit and white dress shirt. They didn’t make their dinner reservation, but they did finish off two milk trays, a dozen or so clementines, and a carton of egg nog while they watched three different Christmas movies in Adam’s hotel room.

Their third Christmas was the one Adam would always remember. It was the first one that really felt like Christmas.

. . .

“A tree?” Adam looked skeptically around the immaculate, and very very white penthouse. “You want to bring an actual conifer in here, for a whole month?”

Tony smiled that indulgent smile he reserved for when he thought Adam was being particularly adorable. “Yes. It’s Christmas. We’re getting a fucking tree.”

And that was that. Two days later Adam followed Tony through a baffling maze of six to eight foot evergreens and pretended to know what Tony was talking about when he talked about the relative merits of a blue spruce over a Douglas fir.

When Tony pointed to a practically symmetrical tree with needles that lighten at the tips Adam was halfway to saying “Whatever you like, Tony,” when he reached out to touch it, and was viciously stabbed for his efforts so instead it came out: “Whatever you – fuck! No. Any tree by that one.”

When Tony finally stopped laughing, they picked a perfectly lovely tree with normal green needles that didn’t want a pound of flesh in payment for its noble holiday sacrifice, and then came the special hell of finding a cab willing to let them strap the seven foot tree to its roof.

Despite Adam’s dire mutterings that they may as well walk the fucking tree all the way home, a cabbie wearing a bright red turban and a massive grin stopped and hurried around to help them lift the tree on top of his cab. Of course when Tony told him they were going to the Langham hotel, he immediately looked like he wished he hadn’t been so eager to help.

“Hotels don’t usually--”

“They do when you own them.” Adam said, blithely ignoring the way Tony elbowed him.

After that it was far too easy. The cabbie helped two bellboys load the tree onto a luggage trolley and then the tree was set up in the brand new tree stand Tony had purchased the day before and placed directly in the middle of the entry way, where a round table usually sat with mail and keys and other accoutrements of daily life usually lived.

Adam couldn’t remember the last time he decorated a tree. Maybe he hadn’t ever, maybe it had been with his mother in those fuzzy happy days he could only just grasp on to at the edges of sleep or when something accidentally sent a memory tumbling forward from the deep recesses of his brain. But he was surprised when Tony seemed as lost as he was.

The entryway was a disaster, boxes of ornaments still covered in plastic wrap, packets of tinsel which Adam had loudly protested would take months to complete eradicate from their home, and strings of rainbow coloured lights (Adam had pushed for those, “Everything in our entire home is white”), and packs of AAA batteries scattered around their feet. Nothing on the tree.

“Shall we start at the top?” Tony held a string of battery powered LEDs in one hand.

Adam dug out the star shaped tree topper they had managed to find among the angels and Santas that Tesco seemed to think everyone wanted. “We should have just bought one of those pre-lit plastic trees and been done with it.”

Tony nudged him. “This is supposed to be romantic. Our first Christmas, our first tree and all that.”

Adam couldn’t resist leaning in for a kiss, but when they pulled apart he gave the tree a look of despair. “Can’t I just bake sugar cookies into candy canes or something?”

“We’re doing that on Saturday with Lily and Helene, you know that.”

Adam muttered under his breath that he didn’t understand why they were suddenly making such a big deal when they’d managed to escape the madness most of their lives, but he set to helping Tony wind the lights through the branches without another complaint.

They ran out of lights three quarters of the way down and had to unwind three strands to fix the spacing and cover the entire thing, but when they were satisfied, Tony pressed the button to turn on the strands and Adam had to admit it was a cheerful sight. The brightly coloured lights winked out at him from between the needles and cast rainbows of light on the white walls, carpet and ceiling of the room.

He won the day on tinsel after Tony tried to place a handful at once and ended up with a tangled mess of silver strands that looked like a glitter monster had vomited on the tree. But halfway through hanging the ornaments, Tony kicked Adam out on the pretense that he needed a cup of tea. Really, he just wanted Adam out so he could space the ornaments perfectly without Adam haphazardly hanging them on whichever branch was in reach and not already carrying one.

Adam didn’t complain. He was happy to see Tony happy, and all things being equal, he would rather be in the kitchen making tea than hanging little glass baubles on a tree. He lingered in the doorway of the kitchen watching Tony as he waited for the kettle to boil.

He didn’t know how romantic the actual tree getting and putting up activity was, but Adam loved seeing Tony like this. His eyes were shining with childlike joy and he couldn’t seem to stop smiling. Adam figured a day spent shopping for and decorating a tree was a small price to pay for Tony to be this joyful.

“Well? Are you just going to stand there watching me work, or are you going to make me a cup of tea?”

Adam realized the kettle was whistling and Tony had finished the ornaments and Adam was still standing in the doorway, probably with a ridiculous smile on his face because seeing Tony this happy was apparently enough to complete derail his ability to function.

 

The holiday décor didn’t stop with the tree. Tony bought them both woven stockings and hung them on either side of the gas fireplace, replaced all of the towels in the kitchen with holiday patterns, and those in the bathrooms with plush red towels decorated with an elegant pair of silver bells. Even their bed got a holiday makeover with crisp white sheets and a poinsettia pattered quilt. Tony was like a kid in a candy store every time he went out he seemed to return with something new.

Adam helped string Christmas lights around the terrace and made red, green, and white sugar cookie dough to twist into candy canes and wreaths with Lily and Helene on a Saturday morning, never quite knowing what he was doing, but finding he enjoyed every second. Well, almost every second. "Santa Claus?" Adam narrowed his eyes at Tony. "You want me to... Santa Claus?"

Tony didn't have to reply, he could already see victory in the set of Adam's shoulders.

Adam picked up the snowy white beard and then set it down again. "For the whole party?"

"Mmm maybe two hours, three at maximum. Just long enough for all the children to tell you their wishes and then you can go hide in the kitchen and yell at your staff."

"I don't yell."

"Of course not. You motivate, loudly." Tony kissed Adam soundly on the lips. "Thank you."

"You owe me."

"We will see. If you do a good job, well..." Tony's eyes shone and he raised his eyebrows in a suggestive wiggle.

 

The Santa suit was every bit as uncomfortable and humiliating as Adam expected. "You have funny eyes." The solemn four year old seated in his lap said, her brow furrowed.

"You're wearing a very pink dress." Adam replied in his best jolly old St. Nick voice. "Do you have anything special you want for Christmas?"

So far he knew that Jeannette from house keepings' son Jacob wanted a Lego prison (slightly worrisome) and her daughter Millie wanted a football, "proper, not pink with Barbie and stuff like the one Uncle Milton got me last year" (admirable); Max's niece wanted a turtle "just like the one in Finding Nemo" (unlikely); and that unless he -Santa- intervened, Gina from the front desk would be getting a divorce in the New Year (he really shouldn't know that, and what was he supposed to say? Probably not the vaguely sinister "Well you know, Billy, Santa can find you anywhere" his brain supplied).

"A pink kitten named Sparkles and gymnast Barbie like the one Jill has."

Adam nodded at the girl on his lap, already everyone's children were starting to blur together and he really hoped the parents were listening in and not expecting him to remember who wanted what. Tony definitely owed him for this.

.

Helene snagged an hors d'oeuvre and came to stand beside Tony, both of them facing the end of the room where Santa-Adam was one by one visiting with the children of the Langham's staff.

"I can't believe you talked him in to that."

"I can be very persuasive." Tony replied, smirking.

"I know."

They shared a warm look, both remembering how Tony had once convinced Helene to help Adam be okay. Nothing had turned out at all like he had expected it to that day. It was much better.

“Lily is ecstatic about Christmas Eve.” Helene said, turning her back on Adam and the Santa

Tony grinned so hard it felt like his face was splitting. He didn’t know how exactly how this had become his life. Somehow in the last three years he had gone from being completely alone to having a family. Unconventional, but that’s what they were: he, Adam, Helene, and Lily – family. “I think Adam is a little jealous that everything under the tree is for Lily.”

Helene laughs. “You two spoil her.”

“Impossible.”

“Says the man who gives her a present every time he sees her.”

Tony blushed. “Yes well… we’ll see you both at four?”

Helene squeezed his elbow. “Yes. You should probably go rescue Adam. It’s a miracle he hasn’t thrown anything yet.”

Tony’s eyes sought Adam and his grin turned soft at the sight of Adam with a small towheaded boy perched on his knee. There was a definite pained pinch in his forehead, but his false smile looked almost genuine. “Yeah. I think I will do that.” He could certainly think of better uses for Adam’s limited store of patience than entertaining the staff’s children.

. . .

The penthouse had never been this messy. Not even when Tony was moving in. But Tony couldn’t bring himself to mind the chaos. The kitchen was littered with mostly empty mugs of cocoa and plates dusted with crumbs from Adam’s cookies. The floor around the Christmas tree was littered with crumpled wrapping paper and needles from the shedding tree. It all looked a little like a Christmas bomb had exploded, but as he moved around the room separating recyclable paper from non-recyclable ribbons and tape, Tony couldn’t stop smiling.

It was a perfect afternoon. Lily was a whirl of radiant sunshine as always. She had barely been able to sit still long enough to open the gifts Tony had been picking up on whims since August and squirreling away in the closet much to Adam’s constant amusement. Each gift had been met with a squeal of delight and a hug each for Tony and Adam and Helene. They drank cocoa and eggnog and ate every single one of the cookies Adam had set out in the kitchen. When all the gifts were open, the adults moved to the living room and Lily played contentedly with her new toys until it was time for her and Helene to go to her mother’s for dinner. Tomorrow they would all have work to do, but tonight Max and David were running the kitchen and Kaitlyn had the dining room under control and even Adam seemed relaxed and happy to kick back without worrying about what was happening twenty floors down.

Now Lily and Helene were gone and Adam was sprawled on the couch, having fallen fast asleep about ten minutes into _White Christmas_ , and Tony was quietly setting their home to rights as Bing Crosby crooned in the background about blessings.

There were only two presents left under the tree. Tony ran a finger over the shiny red and green plaid paper covering Adam’s gift. His stomach tightened. They’d never exchanged Christmas gifts before and he had no idea how Adam would react to his offering. He thought about saving them for the morning so he could escape into work the minute they were done, but Tony wasn’t a coward.

When he had cleaned up all the discarded paper and stacked the dirty dishes into something resembling an ordered pile, he returned to the living room.

Adam blinked open his eyes when Tony crouched down and laid a hand on his shoulder. His sleepy smile was broad and guileless and went straight to Tony’s core like a physical blow. Dear God he loved this man.

“Is it Christmas already?” Adam asked. His voice was scratchy with sleep.

Tony didn’t even try to resist the urge to kiss him. “Close enough.” He said between kisses. He rocked back on his heels and almost laughed at how Adam chased his lips, almost toppling off the couch.

“Presents!” Tony announced rising to his full height and holding out a hand.

Adam twined their fingers together and used Tony’s weight to help pull him off the couch. “Presents? Is that a thing at Christmas?”

“Well, if you don’t want yours. I’m sure it’s not too late to return it.”

Adam pressed Tony against the door frame. “Don’t you dare,” He growled against Tony’s lips.

Tony turned his head away laughing and ducked to the side, pulling Adam with him to the tree. They sank onto the carpet side by side. The lights reflected off Adam’s pupils making his eyes almost glow.

“Mine first,” Tony said, hoping Adam didn’t notice how his voice and hands were trembling as he picked up the slim, wrapped box and pressed it into Adam’s hands.

.

Adam opened the gift slowly, carefully peeling away the ribbon and then peeling back each piece of tape. He couldn’t remember the last gift that had been wrapped with care for him. He wanted to savor the moment. It honestly didn’t matter what was inside. Anything Tony chose was bound to be thoughtful and entirely too good for Adam because that was how Tony was. They lived in a fucking penthouse for God’s sake. And not just a penthouse, but a penthouse with a kitchen outfitted with the latest and greatest in appliances and gadgets and cookware because Tony didn’t want Adam to want for a single thing and was willing to piss off the board and shell out thousands of dollars to achieve that goal. So yeah, it didn’t matter really what was in the box. Adam loved it already.

He folded the paper into a neat square, casting a glance at Tony through his lashes. Tony’s face was pale, hit lips compressed nervously, but his eyes were shining with excitement. Whatever was inside the narrow green box Adam held obviously meant something to Tony. Adam opened the lid.

At first he didn’t understand. He removed the brochure from the box and skimmed the front, inside, back. It was for the Langham in Paris. A fucking gorgeous hotel Tony had acquired nearly three years ago but as far as Adam knew, Tony hadn’t actually set foot in the place since the purchase, preferring to retain the staff and oversee the necessary branding changes from London. He was just about to ask Tony what was going on when he saw it. Honestly, once he’d seen it he didn’t know how he’d missed the bold white block letters along the bottom of the cover: “Opening Summer 2018: Adam Jones at the Langham, Paris.”

He blinked hard but the words didn’t disappear. He couldn’t tear his eyes away. His brain had completely stalled out. _Paris?_ Tony had bought him a fucking restaurant in Paris? “Tony..?” He was clutching the brochure so tightly it almost hurt.

He can’t quite tear his eyes away from the text. When he finally looked up, Tony was practically beaming.

“We’re going to conquer Paris.” For a moment he looked hesitant, “if that’s what y--”

Adam practically lunged, cutting off Tony’s words with a kiss that seemed to go on forever. He didn’t let go of the brochure, just crushed it between their bodies as he tried desperately to convey how grateful and fucking happy he was, how much he loved Tony, how he wasn’t even close to deserving any of this, how he would make Tony proud no matter what it took. Of course, it was a kiss not a conversation but by the pleased sounds coming from Tony’s throat he’s pretty sure at least the gratitude bit is getting through.

When they finally break apart, flushed, breathless, grinning so hard it hurts, Adam huffed out a breath of laughter. “You really should have opened my gift first. There’s no way I can match this.”

Tony shook his head, chuckling. “Do you know how hard it was for me to wait until tonight to tell you?”

Adam traced the words with a reverent finger. “You know there are still people in Paris who are rooting for me to fail.”

“So?” Tony cupped Adam’s face between his palms and kissed each side of his mouth gently. “You are Adam Fucking Jones. You’ll show all of them.”

Adam let go of the brochure so he could pull Tony closer. “ _We_ will show them.” He corrected softly.

Tony kissed him once, firm but quick and then pulled back and reached for the final present under the tree.

Adam watched him unwrap the small box, wishing he had gone with the first impulsive idea that had crossed his mind when he realized this year there would be no avoiding a romantic Christmas as a real couple. But maybe it was okay. The cufflinks were beautiful, and just a tad corny, but the titanium rings he had looked at first and dismissed as too much too soon suddenly seemed perfect and the note secreted away inside the cufflinks seemed incredibly impersonal and inadequate. Tony would always deserve more than Adam could ever give him.

“These are beautiful.” Tony lifted one of the cuff links out of the box, turning it and allowing the Christmas tree lights to reflect off the silver cylinders.

Adam almost lost his nerve. If he just said nothing. If he just let the cufflinks be a nice but not overly sentimental gift. If he just pulled Tony off to bed, leaving everything else behind them. If he did that he could back out. If he just didn’t say it. If he just did what Tony would expect, everything would continue as usual. But Adam was tired of being a coward. He was tired of running. He was tired of never being enough for Tony, of never feeling like he was enough.

“They have a compartment inside.” He said softly. His voice was steady even though he felt like he was standing at the edge of a cliff.

Tony’s eyes lit up and he flashed Adam a heart stopping, boyishly joyful grin before turning his attention to the cufflink. It didn’t take him long to unscrew one end and pull out the tiny scroll of paper.

Adam sucked his lower lip into his mouth, worrying it with his teeth, his eyes never leaving Tony’s face.

.

Tony could feel tension radiating from Adam as he pulled the small rolled paper from inside the cufflink. His own heart was pounding in his chest while his brain desperately tried to shut down the excited hope welling inside him before it grew large enough to destroy him. He could barely make out the words at first. His fingers were trembling and his eyes refused to focus. He sucked in a slow breath through his nose and then the words swam into focus and he thought for a moment he might never breath properly again. It felt like a warm his was gripping his heart, twisting it so tight it couldn’t even beat.

It was two lines of text. Just two lines, but Tony had to read it five times before he was sure he hadn’t made a mistake, before he was willing to believe that what he read was actually what was there.

_I never thought it could be like this. You are the love of my life. Tony Belardi, will you marry me?_

Unbidden, tears stung at the corners of Tony’s eyes. He blinked them away and then looked up. The unbearable pressure around his heart released, setting it pounding again against his ribs when he met Adam’s gaze. There was nervousness there, fear even, but when Tony’s lips began to lift in a smile, Adam’s face crinkled into a smile to bright it was blinding.

“Of course.” Tony choked out, his throat thick.

Adam reached out with one hand and smoothed his fingers over Tony’s cheek. “I am unbelievably in love with you.” He said as if he was realizing it for the first time.

Tony leaned into his touch. He couldn’t seem to get a word past the lump in his throat no matter how many times he swallowed around it. So he did the next best thing, grasping Adam’s shirtfront and pulling him in for a kiss.

Eventually they moved to the bedroom. Tony let Adam take the lead, set the pace. They made love slowly, almost reverently. There wasn’t an inch of skin left untouched, and when they finally collapsed into each other, sated and boneless, Tony barely managed to whisper an “I love you,” against Adam’s shoulder before he slipped into a deep, dreamless sleep.

In the morning Adam was already in the shower when Tony awoke, but he that was okay. He turned over, planning to catch another few minutes of sleep before he would really need to rise. If it had been any other morning Tony would probably have dragged himself into the bathroom just to catch Adam coming out of the shower. Somehow, even months after they had moved in together, years after they had started their relationship, Tony always felt like he needed to convince Adam to stay. This morning he didn’t feel that way anymore.

He had a tiny note and a pair of cufflinks to remind him if he ever forgot. Adam wasn’t going anywhere. They belonged to each other, and to this place, and that surety was the most wonderful gift Tony has ever received. Life really did turn out so much better than Tony had expected.

. . .

They spend their fourth Christmas in Paris, too busy really to do more than make love under the red and green glow of the fake tree they erected in their room at the Langham after a long busy day in the restaurant. It’s going well, but bringing a whole new staff up to their standards is a constant challenge, and Adam isn’t ready to let any of the new hires run the kitchen for even a dinner shift, let alone an entire day. Yet, even though their fourth Christmas felt less like an actual Christmas than any of the others they spent together, it would always be Tony’s favourite, because it was the Christmas he was able to say to each new person he met at the series of business parties the holiday always entailed: “Have you met my husband, Adam Jones?”


End file.
